The best four-seat convertibles and cabriolets on sale

Top-down motoring is one of life’s true pleasures but what happens if more than one passenger wants to go with you? Thankfully, there are plenty of cars with folding roofs and seating for four – we’ve picked our 10 favourites out.

If you fancy any of the cars on this list, take a look at our new car deals page to discover the deals carwow could help you get. If you’d prefer a hardtop, take a look at our list of best sports cars with four seats too. If you’re ready to buy, our PCP calculator can give you an idea of how much a personal finance package could cost per month.

1. Audi A3 Cabriolet

The Audi A3 Cabriolet is the latest in a long line of Audi convertibles that mixes style, class and quality in equal measure. The well-built cabin is shared with the A3 hatchback and a recent facelift brought a few more goodies including the excellent Virtual Cockpit digital dashboard. Everything looks and feels great, and there’s a reasonable amount of room for four people to travel in comfort, plus a 320-litre boot for all their stuff.

Despite its fabric construction, refinement is excellent – with the roof up, you wouldn’t necessarily realise you were in a convertible. Press a button and within 18 seconds the roof will have folded into the boot – this robs you of a little space, but not safety because there are integrated roll bars and plenty of airbags. The easy, relaxing driving experience matches the A3’s laid back image making it a great year-round companion.

2. BMW 2 Series Convertible

The BMW 2 Series Convertible is the smallest drop-top the company makes, now the Z4 has been discontinued. There’s just enough room for four people and the 335-litre boot is 15 larger than the rivalling A3 Cabriolet, although the Audi marginally has the upper hand when it comes to interior design and quality. The 2 Series’ cabin feels upmarket but isn’t as pleasing on the eye as the Audi.

The 2 Series Convertible has accurate, well tuned controls offering a very engaging driving experience. Impressively, however, BMW has also ensured it’s relaxing and refined when you’re just cruising, with its sporty character emerging only when needed. It becomes more obvious with the fabric roof down, especially with the smooth and potent six-cylinder petrol in the M240i.

3. Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet

At more than five metres long, the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet is one of the biggest convertibles on sale. Unsurprisingly, there’s ample room inside for four passengers, although the 350-litre boot isn’t as huge as the rest of the car feels. Rivals don’t come close to the luxury feeling the Mercedes oozes from every panel, however – it feels every penny of its astronomically high price tag.

The multi-layered fabric roof is so well insulated that blind tests between this and the hardtop S-Class Coupe reveal no tangible difference. Of course, this all comes at a price – a very, very high one – but the S-Class Cabriolet is arguably the finest four-seater convertible money can buy.

4. Mini Convertible

It’s hard not to like the Mini Convertible – its cheeky styling, open-top charm and solid, upmarket interior make it a very tempting proposition. The rear seats aren’t very generously proportioned, but kids and small adults will fit just fine.

Boot space has increased by 25 per cent with the current model and, with the roof up, there’s a passable 215 litres of cargo space, though access is a little tricky. The Convertible keeps the hatchback’s go-kart-like handling, meaning it’s really fun to drive with the roof up or down. Plus, it’s relatively cheap to buy and run – the diesel engine claims to return more than 70mpg.

5. Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet

This is the first Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet the German brand has ever made. It shares the same excellent interior as the popular saloon, and even has a reasonable amount of space for four people. Taller passengers will struggle in the back when the roof is closed but this is still one of the more spacious options on this list.

Mercedes traditionally focuses on comfort and refinement, and the C-Class Cabriolet is no exception. There are no bumps or rattles and, for £895, you can specify air-suspension to make the ride even cushier. There are lots of other options that can improve your comfort but you can rest assured that the firm’s Airscarf neck warmer comes as standard making year-round open-top motoring a possibility – if you’re brave enough…

6. BMW 4 Series Convertible

The BMW 4 Series Convertible is another mid-sized drop-top that can easily seat four but, instead of a traditional fabric roof, it has a folding metal one. With the roof up, it’s as refined as the Coupe, along with an impressive 370-litre boot. Press a button and the three-piece roof folds away, leaving you with 220 litres and infinite headroom.

On the road, the 4 Series Convertible is a little more relaxed and comfort-focused than you might expect from a BMW. If you want something a bit racier, then there’s the M4 Convertible but, unless you need truly blistering performance, the regular petrol and diesel versions are very capable as they are.

7. Porsche 911 Cabriolet

The Porsche 911 Cabriolet is an iconic car and the drop-top version adds another dimension of enjoyment. It can work as a four seater for very short journeys but, realistically, the near vertical rear seats and next-to-no legroom mean the bench is best used as extra storage. The 911’s boot is at the front, so you get the same 215-litre space as you do in the Coupe.

To drive, the Cabriolet is pretty much the same as the Coupe – stable, sporty and surprisingly approachable. It’s a car that’s relaxed and easy to live with when you want, but can turn into a highly capable sports car when you find a quiet stretch of road. Prices and engine power vary massively, but we think the basic 370hp Carrera is more than enough for most people.

8. Range Rover Evoque Convertible

Land Rover probably isn’t a manufacturer you’d typically associate with convertibles, but the Range Rover Evoque Convertible is a brave attempt to mix off-road styling and a folding fabric roof. There’s just enough room inside for five people, with the same stylish cabin you’ll find in the standard Evoque. There’s also a 251-litre boot, though access isn’t great because of the awkward opening.

The Evoque Convertible has definitely been designed with cruising in mind, so it’s relaxing and smooth to drive, but the extra weight means even the torquey diesel engine struggles to produce any real performance. It’s also not exactly cheap to buy, priced at around £48,000 but, if you’re a fan of the way it looks, we suspect that won’t matter.

9. Bentley Continental GTC

The Bentley Continental GTC is one of the most luxurious cabriolets on sale, offering quilted leather and real wood luxury in both rows of seats. There’s plenty of headroom, though rear legroom is disappointingly limited for a 4.8-metre-long car. Still, in terms of quality, there’s little to fault it and there’s plenty of standard equipment – though, priced from £150,000, you’d hope so.

The GTC is available with either a V8 or W12 petrol engine, both of which are more than capable of hauling the car to 62mph from rest ludicrously quickly – 5 seconds for the V8 and 4.4 for the W12. All-wheel drive is standard, so there’s plenty of grip and the Bentley is amazingly refined and comfy, even with the roof down.

10. Ford Mustang Convertible

If you’re after something that’d look more at home on Route 66 than the M6, the Ford Mustang Convertible could be the car for you. Its larger-than-life styling hides a car that’s actually pretty practical – rear legroom is a bit tight, but there’s lots of headroom and the boot is handy 332 litres, even with the roof up.

The rest of the interior has lots of style, even if the quality doesn’t quite measure up to that in some rivals. However, the Ford is noticeably cheaper than similarly sized cars and is available with a massive V8 engine – it’s hard to resist lowering the fabric roof at the first sign of nice weather just to hear the exhaust rumble.

Save money on your next new car

If you’re interested in any of these practical drop-tops, use carwow to find the best deals with our new car deals page. If you’re still struggling to decide, our car chooser can narrow your search. If you’d prefer to buy a new car using a personal finance package, our PCP calculator can give you a better idea how much it could cost per month.

Save on average £3,600: Between January 2016 and March 2016 carwow buyers saved on average £3,600 off the RRP of car configurations.

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